Building



Jan. 11, 1938. A. T. LEVY 2,104,874

BUILDING Filed Oct. 15, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l A. T. LEVY Jan. 11, 1938.

BUILDING Filed Oct. 15, 1 936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 M05790 Le/g/ A. T. LEVY Jan. 11, 1938.

BUILDING Filed Oct. 15, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 446/ 47'TOI-PNEIY A. T. LEVY Jan. 11, 1938.

BUILDING Filed Oct. 15, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 25 Claims.

This invention relates to buildings, and more particularly to prefabricated buildings of the type disclosed in my application, Serial No. 46,156, filed October 22, 1935.

vOne of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved building which combines the advantages of low cost, ease and rapidity in transporting, handling and erecting of the parts, strength, durability and attractive appearance.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved building of the above mentioned type having an improved wall frame including improved means for positioning wall panels at their upper, lower and vertical edges in said wall frame, cooperating in an improved manner with improved means for operatively associating the floor, roof, ceiling and partition structures with V the improved frame structure.

rments in the mounting of the fioor beams and their associated parts and in the provisions for supporting and securing the floor elements and supporting and bracing the wall studs, and with other improvements whereby the floor, roof, ceiling and partition structures, are associated and connected in an improved manner with different elements of the improved frame structure associated with the several edges of the panels, as will hereinafter appear, and all in such manner as to provide a better construction for the purposes in view and facilitate and lower the cost of fabrication and erection.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for purposes of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings,

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a building such as a small dwelling embodying my improvements;

portion of the panel wall and a portion of the roof;

Figs. 6, '7 and 8 are sections through the wall on lines corresponding to the lines 6-6, 1-1 and 88, respectively, of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a plan view partly in section showing certain parts illustrated in Fig. '7;

Fig. 10 is a detail plan view, partly in section, showing the lower part of the frame at a corner of the building prior to the installation of the panels, the positions of the panels being indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of the lower portion of a wall stud with its associated parts;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the upper part of the frame at a corner of the building;

Fig. 12 shows in elevation certain parts shown in Fi 12;

Fig. 13 is a detail section showing the upper part of the connection between the side wall and a partition, the same being a section on line Iii-I3 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 14 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 13, the roof rafter and other parts being omitted, and

Fig. 15 is a detail of one of the wall panels.

In the drawings, I have shown my improvements applied to a building such as a small dwelling of the bungalow type in which wall panels of the kind described in my application, Serial No. 46,156, are set in apertures formed by the wall studs, an upper plate member and a lower plate member or sill. In the drawings, the foundation is shown at A, the outer wall at B, the roof at C, the lower plate member or sill at D, the upper plate member at D, the ordinary stud members at E, the corner studs at E, and the outer wall panels at F.

The wall panels F, which are intended to be covered on the outside by a ayer of cementitious material such as stucco, and on the insideby a layer of cementitious material such as plaster, preferably comprise, as in myapplication Serial No. 54,429, a board ill of compressed wood fiber or like thermal insulating material, having applied to each face thereof a series of upright reenforcing rods ll. These rods serve to space from the board, sheets I2 of coating anchoring material or metal lath which may, as herein shown, be formed of woven wire. If desired, expanded metal may be used or some other form of reticulated material. The sheets l2 and the rods II are fastened to the board by appropriate means such as wire loops I3 at suitable intervals in the length of the rods and passing through suitable perforations in the board. As herein shown, the ends of the rods l l are flush with the end edges of the board. The sheets l2 are preferably substantially coextensive in length with the board, but are of greater width so as to project beyond the board at the lateral edges of the latter. The lateral edge portions of adjacent sheets are adapted to overlap the stud members and to overlap each other as shown in Fig. 2, where the overlapping portions of the sheets of adjacent panels are shown at I l. This structure is employed at the inner face of the wall, as well as at the outer face.

The foundation A is of concrete, and the sill member is supported on the foundation in the manner shown, for example, in Fig. 6. The sill member, as in my application Serial No. 4 6,156,

comprises a light metal channel member l5 made in sections as necessary and secured to the foundation at appropriate intervals by hook bolts l6 passing through the bottom walls of the channel and having fastening nuts ll, ll located respectively at the inner and outer faces of the channel bottom wall. In the channel, the wall'studs E and the corner studs E are set and secured as hereinafter described; The studs E are composed of channels la -secured back to back ing.

The lower ends of the panels are set in the channel sill with the lower end portions of the rods l l interposed between the channel sides and the faces of the boards as disclosed and claimed in my application Serial No. 89,961, the outer faces of the rods being substantially in contact with the inner faces of the channel walls so that the rod-equipped panels fit in the sill channel and are thus accurately positioned and prevented from displacement. The lower ends of the outer sheets l2 extend down over the sill flange at the outer side of the wall, but the inner sheets herein are out off at their lowerends so as to clear an upwardly projecting portion of the foundation hereinafter described.

The upper plate member D, as in my application Serial No. 46,156, is similar to the lower plate or sill, being constituted by a metal channel 22 similar to channel l5 and which accommodates the upper edge of the panel in a manner similar to that above described, although here the sheets l2 preferably extend in such manner as to overlie and extend to the top of both sides of the channel 22, as shown in Figure 5; here also, the upper ends of the rods extend inside these channels as at their lower ends, in the manner described herein in connection with said lower ends. a

In my improved foundation structure, the foundation A supports a sleeper 23 and floor beams 24, the sleeper being supported intermediate of its ends by means such as columns 25, of which one is shown in Fig. 3. The sleeper supports the floor beams intermediate of their ends and they are welded to it in those locations where they cross it. The end of the sleeper is embedded in the concrete foundation in the location shown in Fig. 4, that is to say, in a location below the level of the sill. The beams 24 have their lower faces at the same level as the lower face of the sill. For connecting the beam ends with the sill, I employ means such as plates 2% which have portions extending under the: ends of the beams, and other portions extending under the sill, said first portions having their upper faces connected as by welding to the bottom faces of the beams. Certain of the anchor bolts it pass through these plates 26 and serve to connect them to the sill member, as shown in Fig. '7.

On the beams 25 is supported a wooden floor which includes heaw wooden flooring boards 2'! and upper boards 28 at right angles thereto.

In association with those walls which are parallel to the floor beams, improved means are provided by this invention for supporting a marginal portion of the wooden floor and bracing the wall studs. This means comprises a channel member 32 extending lengthwise of the foundation wall at the upper part thereof as shown in Figs. 4 and 8. This channel member is spaced inwardly from the wall studs and is provided with inwardly directed lower and upper flanges 33, the lower flange being supported from the foundation and the upper flange supporting an elongated wooden nailing member E l on the upper surface of which the ends of the floor boards 21 rest and to which said boards are secured as by nailing. The member .32 is preferably of the same depth as the beams 24. The nailing member 3% is secured to the upper flange of the member 32 by bolts 35. Where the nailing member passes the wall studs, the latter are braced by means such as angle clips 36 having lower legs secured to the upper face of they nailing member by the bolts 35 and upwardly extending legs suitably securedto the studs as by bolts 3'5. The bolts 35 pass through the angle clip, the nailing member and the upper flange of member 32 and secure them together. The bolts 31 pass through the channels of the stud member and the upper leg of the angle member. The upper end of each bolt 35 is received in a recess cut in the under surface of the adjacent floor board 21', as shown in Fig. 8.

The member 32 is connected to the channel sill member H5 in spaced relation thereto by means of flat connecting plates 39 underlying the members 32 and I5 and attached to the member 32 in a suitable manner as by welding the same to the lower surface thereof. The plates are connected to the sill member by anchor bolts it. These plates underlie the sill member in spaced locations in line with the wall studs, as indicated in Fig. 3, and the sleeper 23 is in line with one of the wall studs and has one of the plates 39 attached to its upper surface as by welding, as indicated in Fig. 8.

In my invention, I also provide improved means for supporting thev body portion of the floor and bracing the wall studs at those sides of. the building which are at right angles to the floor beams. It will be noted that the floor beams are of the same depth and at the same level as the flanged member and that I interpose between the upper flange of each beam and the under surface of floor beams 2'1, wooden stringers 34a corresponding in depth to the nailing member 34 and likewise serving as a nailing member to which certain boards 27 are nailed. These stringers also serve to brace the wall studs aligned therewith, by connections such as shown in Fig. 7. On top of the end of the stringer or nailing member is laid the lower leg of an angle clip 29 secured to the end of the stringer by bolts 3H, and these bolts also serve to connect the stringers to the upper flanges of the beams, passing downwardly through the angle clips, the stringers and the beam flanges. The upwardly directed legs of the angle clips 29 are secured to the studs by means of bolts 3! which extend rearwardly through the channels of the studs. The upper ends of the bolts 30 are received in a recess formed in the adjacent floor .board 21.

In those walls to which the ends of the beams 24 extend, the sill member l5 occupies an angular recess in the foundation Wall A, the wall being continued upwardly in back of the sill member to form an upward concrete projection 40 presenting a shoulder against which the rear face of the sill abuts, as shown in Figs. 6 and '7. The concrete embeds portions of the plates 26 and the lower portions of the beam ends, as shown in Fig. '7, so as to present the portion 49 above mentioned which occupies the space between the ends of adjacent beams and is level with the tops of the sills. In a wall at right angles to that shown in Figs. 6 and '7, the concrete embeds the end of the sleeper and is extended upwardly to present an upwardly projecting portion 4| extending to the same level as portion 46 and embedding the lower portion of the member 32, as shown in Fig. 8. Portion 4! also presents a shoulder against which the sill member abuts.

In the spaces above the inner portions of the sills is placed suitable grouting 32a, and around the margins of the floor formed by boards 2'! suitable filling material 3221 is placed, said material being of a character to permit expansion of the boards.

The construction of the lower. part of the wall frame at a corner of the building is shown in Fig. 10. The ends of adjacent sections of the channel sill are mitred and lie on top of a connecting plate 42 resting on the foundation, and are connected to the plate and foundation by anchor bolts passing through the bottom of the channels and through the plate. Additional bolts 42:; connect the sills to the plate 42. The channels l9 and 20 of the corner stud are connected to the corresponding sill channels by appropriate bolts or pins with suitable filler pieces associated therewith. The connection between the lower end of an ordinary wall stud and the sill channel is effected by means of bolts 43, suitable filler pieces 44 being interposed between side walls of the channel and opposing faces of the stud, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

In building the foundation, the first step is the erection of the supporting column structure for the sleeper, and the placing of the sleeper in position on the columns. The floor beams are then placed across the sleeper and welded thereto and the channel 32 placed on the sleeper and welded thereto with a plate 39 intervening. Other plates are attached to member 32 and a sill is then placed on the plates 39 and the anchor bolts connected and arranged in depending position. At the ends of the beams 24, the connecting plates 28 are welded to the lower faces of the beams, and the sill located and supported on said plates with the anchor bolts connected to the plates and sill and depending therefrom. The sills are interconnected at the corners in the manner previously described. The concrete side walls of the foundation are then formed by the use of suitable forms, as more particularly described in my application Serial No. 105,722, filed October 15, 1936, in which the new method is claimed.

Before the concrete is poured, the bolts 43 (Fig. 11) for attaching the lower ends of the studs to the sills are placed in position in the sills. These bolts have solid heads at the outer side of the sill and'nuts 43' (Fig. lithreaded thereon at the inner side of the sill. When the concrete is poured, the nuts 43' are embedded in the concrete. After the concrete has set, the bolts are screwed out of the nuts, the studs are inserted in the sill, and the bolts replaced.

By the construction above described the foundation structure is greatly improved, erection being much facilitated, the metal parts being securely anchored in the foundation wall, and the process of erection being speeded to a notable degree. The parts can be very quickly placed in their relative locations with a minimum amount of labor. The welding and connecting operations are separate and can be carried out very conveniently, especially owing to the fact that they are performed before the concrete is poured. Various other advantages also flow from this construction and procedure. For example, it is unnecessary to bolt the beam ends and sills to the concrete in the time consuming manner which has been customary heretofore. By my improvements quicker and better anchoring of the sills and'their connected parts can be effected.

The joint between the plate sections at the corner of the frame is generally similar to that between the sill sections as previously described. A triangular plate 44 is laid on top of the adjacent as shown in Fig. 12.

For the present instance, as in the structure shown in my application, Serial No. 76,950, filed April 29, 1936, the load imposed by the roof rafters and the ceiling joists is carried directly by the wall studs in order that the portions of the plate member overlying the upper edges of the wall panels may be relieved of this load, and therefore widely spaced rafters and ceiling joists are employed, consecutive rafters and joists being located over and supported from beneath by the stud members. Also, as in the case of the structure shown in that application, a 'hip roof is preferably used so that at all sides of the building a light weight plate member can be used.

In the construction here illustrated, one of the corner rafters of the hip roof is shown at 46 in Fig. 12, which rafter is supported at its lower end on plate 44' and is fastened thereto by suitable means such as angle clips 41 bolted to the rafter and to the plate. I have also shown in Fig. 12 and Fig. 12 the arrangement of a side rafter 4B and ceiling joist 49 with respect to the wall frame. Fig. 12 shows a wall stud bolted at its upper end in the channeled plate member by bolts 50 with rafter 48 resting at its end on the plate member and centered with respect to the stud. The ceiling joist 49 is bolted by bolts 5| to the rafter at one side of the same, with the web of the ceiling joist in line with a portion of the stud. At the opposite end of the bolt 5! the same is used to secure the rafter to an angle clip 52, which, in turn is bolted to the top of the plate member by bolt 53. The lower flange of the ceiling joist is bolted to the top of the plate member by a bolt 54.

Rafters such as rafter (Fig. 12), which extend at right angles to the ceiling joists are attached to the plate member by oppositely located angle clips 56 similar to the clips 41 and clip 52.

In providing ceilings, it is advantageous to apply small light channels 51 to the lower surface of the ceiling joists, as by welding them thereto, and to attach suitable metal and paper furring 58 to these channels as by wiring it thereto. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 5. Bolts used in connection with the wall studs may be passed through perforations in the panels carrying the reenforcing rods and coating anchoring sheets, or the panels or parts thereof may be cut away slightly where necessary to clear parts which would otherwise interfere, although this is necessary only in a relatively few instances.

At a suitable stage after the installation of the wall panels, a coating of suitable material such as stucco is applied tothe outer face of the wall. Suitable grouting is inserted in the space between the panels and the upstanding member 32 and nailing member 34, and such material is also inserted between the edge of the lower or underfloor and the opposing panel faces. Plaster is then applied to the inner surfaces of the walls, such plaster preferably extending downwardly as far as the upper surface of the underfloor, as shown.

In Figs. 13 and 14, I have shown the structure at the upper part of a partition where the same extends inwardly from oneof the wall studs. In this case, the wall stud has welded to the rear face thereof a partition channel 62 in which is set a partition panel 63 similar to the outer wall panels hereinbefore described, and likewise provided at opposite sides with reenforcing rods and coating anchoring sheets. The partition plate member 64 is of channel form and similar to the plate member'previously described. On top of the upper plate member 22 of the outer wall and overlying the end of the partition plate member 64 is a connecting plate 65 connected to member 22 by-boltsbiiand connected to member 64 by a bolt 61; The adjacent rafter (Fig. 13)'rests on top of plate and is connected thereto by angle clips through which the bolts 68 pass. In Fig; 14 the rafter is omitted. The end of the partition plate member 64 adjacent the bolts 59 associated with the upper ends of the stud member is chamfered, as shown at 68, in order to clear the inner ends of said bolts.

By the improvements described, a building can be erected from prefabricated parts which are simple, inexpensive, and easy to transport, handle and assemble, and a minimum amount of cutting and fitting is required at the building site. The wall panels can be readily and quickly assembled in the frame, and the'upper and lower frame members cooperate in an especially effective way with the upper and lower edges of the panels in positioning the sameaccurately and at minimum expense. The arrangement of the parts and the provisions for locating and securing the parts, especially those associated with the channels receiving the upper and lower edges of the panels and connecting these to the opposite ends of the studsand whereby the various parts of the floor, roof, ceiling and partition structures are connected' to these channels and studs and the concrete foundation wall, arealso of an improved character, as above mentioned, greatly facilitating the construction of the foundation and other structure and providing a construction which in actual use has proven very satisfactory. As a result of my improvements, buildings made up of prefabricated parts and having great strength and durability, together with the requisite insulating properties, can be built with maximum ease and at minimum expense:

While I have described in detail a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of various embodiments, and many modifications maybe made in th'e construction as particularly described hereinwithout departing from the principles of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a building, a foundation wall, beams having their ends supported by said wall, a sill member supported on the wall parallel to said beams, stud members connected to said sill member, an upwardly projecting flanged member associated with said wall and located inwardly of said sill member, a nailing member supported by and on top of said flanged member, and a wooden floor supported on said beams and having a marginal portion resting on and secured to said nailing member.

2. In a building, a foundation wall, beams having their ends supported by said wall, a series of stud members supported by said wall in a line parallel to said beams, a supporting member supported by said foundation wall inwardly of said stud members and having upper and lowerv flanges, a nailing -l ember supported on the upper flange of said supporting' member, a wooden floor supported on said beamsand having a marginal portion supported by said nailing'member, and bracing members for said stud members disposed above said nailing member and connected thereto.

3. In a building, a foundation wall, beams having their ends supported'by said wall, a channeled sill member supported on the wall parallel to said beams, stud members connectedto said sill member, a channel member supported by said Wall inwardly of said sill member, and a floor supported on said beams and having a marginal portion supported from said channel member.

4'. In a prefabricated building, a foundation, a frame comprising a lower channeled plate member carried on said foundation, an upper channeled plate member spaced above said lower member, and cooperating interposed channeled studs having their ends fixed in said channel members and forming a plurality of panel apertures each extending from the lower to the upper plate members and from one stud to the adjacent stud, panels set within the respective apertures and carrying reinforcing elements received Within the channels of said plate members, floor supporting structure carried on said foundation inwardly of said lower channel member including a marginal nailing strip supporting member parallel to said channel member and also connected to the lower ends of said studs, and ceiling supporting structure connected to the upper channel member and'stllds and having its load imposed on said studs 5. In a prefabricated building, a foundation, a frame comprising a lower channeled plate member carried on said foundation, an upper channeled plate member spaced above said lower member, and cooperating interposed channeled studs having their ends fixed in said channel members and forming a plurality of panel apertures each extending from the lower to the upper plate members and from one stud to the adjacent.

stud, panels set within the respective apertures and carrying reinforcing elements received within the channels of said plate members, floor supporting structure carried on said foundation inwardly of said lower channel member and having portions embedded in said foundation and connected therein to said lower channel member and projecting portions connected to the lower ends of said studs, and ceiling supportingstructure connected to the upper channel member and ,studs having its load imposed on said studs.

anchor the same.

7 In a building, a foundation wall, beams having their ends supported by said wall, an upwardly projecting member associated with the foundation wall parallel to said beams, a floor supported on said beams and having a marginal portion supported from said upwardly projecting member, and a sleeper supported by said foundation and supporting said upwardly projecting member and said beams.

8. In a building, a concrete foundation wall, beamshaving their ends supported by said wall, said wall being extended upwardly beyond the bottoms of the beams and presenting an outwardly facing shoulder or abutment, a channeled sill member supported on the foundation wall with its inner side wall against said abutment, and means for anchoring said sill member to the foundation.

9. In a building, a foundation wall, beams supported at their .ends on said wall, a sill extending along said wall adjacent the ends of said beams, studs connected to said sill, a floor spaced upwardly from said beams, members extending along and on top of said beams for supporting said floor, and means connected to said lastnamed members for bracing said studs.

10. In a building, a foundation wall, beams supported at their ends on said wall, a sill extending alongsaid wall adjacent the ends of said beams, studs connected to said sill, a floor spaced upwardly from said beams, members extending along and on top of said beams for supporting saidfloor, and means connected to said lastnamed members for bracing said studs, said means comprising angle clips and common means for connecting said clips to said members and connecting said members to said beams.

11. A building comprising a foundation, beams on said foundation, sill members on the foundation at sides thereof respectively parallel to said beams and at right angles thereto, a plurality of wall studs connected to said sill members, an upstanding member associated with the foundation and parallel to said beams, a floor spaced upwardly from said beams and said upstanding member, asupporting and spacing member interposed between the floor and said upstanding member, and supporting and spacing members interposed between the fioor and said beams.

12. A building comprising a foundation, beams on said foundation, sill members on the foundation at sides thereof respectively parallel to said beams and at right angles thereto, a plurality of member located over said upstanding member and to the supporting and spacing members located over said beams for bracing the wall studs.

13. In a building, a foundation wall, a sill member supported thereon, beams supported on said foundation and having their ends extending into adjacency to said sill member, and connecting plates underlying the beam ends and the sill member and fastened to said ends and to said member.

14. In a building, a concrete foundation wall, a sill member supported thereon, beams sup- .ported by said wall and having their ends adjacent said sill member, and connecting members fastened to said ends and to said sill member and embedded in the concrete of said wall.

15. In a building, a concrete foundation wall, a sill member supported thereby, beams having their ends fastened to said sill member, and embedded in said wall, and means embedded in said wall for anchoring said sill member.

16. In a building, a concrete foundation wall, a sill member supported thereon, beams supported by said wall parallel to said sill member, a floor supporting member adjacent and parallel to said sill member, and connecting members fastened to said floor supporting member and to said sill member and embedded in the concrete of said wall.

1'7. In a building, a concrete foundation wall, a sill member supported thereon, a floor supporting member adjacent said sill member and embedded in the concrete of said wall, connecting members fastened to said sill member and said floor supporting member and embedded in the concrete of said wall, and anchor members depending from said sill member into the concrete.

18. In a building, a suitably supported sleeper, a series of beams carried thereby, a sill member fastened to and carried by the beam ends, a sill member at right angles to said first sill member fastened to and carried by an end of thesleeper, and a wall supporting the beam ends, the sleeper end and the sill members.

19. In a building, a suitably supported sleeper, a series of beams fastened thereto and carried thereby, a sill member fastened to and carried by the beam ends, a sill member at right angles to said first member fastened to and carried by an end of the sleeper, and a concrete wall supporting the sill members and embedding the ends of the beams and the end of the sleeper.

20. In a building, a suitably supported sleeper, a series of beams fastened thereto and carried thereby, a sill member fastened to and carried by the beam ends, a sill member at right angles to said first member fastened to and carried by an end of the sleeper, anchors depending from the sill members, and a concrete wall supporting the beam ends, the sleeper end and the sill members and embedding said anchors.

21. In a building, a suitably supported sleeper, beams fastened thereto and carried thereby, a floor supporting member fastened to and carried by the end of the sleeper, sills carried respectively by the beam ends and the floor supporting member, and a concrete wall supporting said sills and embedding the beam ends, the sleeper end and the floor supporting member.

22. In a building, a suitably supported sleeper, beams supported thereon, a sill member perpendicular to the sleeper, an elongated supporting member for said sill member parallel thereto and carried by the end of the sleeper, and a concrete wall embedding the sleeper end and said supporting member and underlying the sill member.

23. In a building, a concrete foundation, a sill member, a' connecting plate underlying said sill member, an anchor bolt passing through the sill member and the connecting plate and fastening them together and embedded in the concrete,

and a structural member fastened to said plate and embedded in the concrete.

light upper plate member in the form of a channel having portions in the intervals between said studs receiving the upper edges of said panel members.

25. In a building, a foundation, a wall supported thereon including stud members and panel members, a roof whose load is imposed directly on said stud members, a ceiling whose load isimposed directly on said stud members, a light upper plate member in the form of a channel receiving the upper ends of said stud members and the upper edges of said panel members in the intervals between said studs, a light lower plate member in the form of a channel carried on said foundation and receiving the lower ends of said stud members and the lower edges of said panel members, means connecting the opposite ends of said stud members to said channel members, and a floor supporting structure having a marginal channel member and beams embedded in said foundation and connected to said lower channel member and also having projecting portions connected to the lower ends of said stud members.

AUSTIN T. LEVY. 

